Operation: Candy
by Jo Dawn
Summary: A young TMNT Halloween story. Tells about their first night trick or treating. Just a cute little holiday story. :) Please read and review. Thanks!


Operation: Candy

"What do you think, Leo?" Mike looked over at Leo, while Don looked nervously over his shoulder. 

"I think we need a plan of action." Leo said, fingering the cloth near his wrist. 

"That's why we asked you." Raph said, annoyed. He bounced in place, ready to get out there, into the action. 

Leo sighed. "I wish I'd brought my swords." 

Raph wrinkled his nose. "What for? They're wooden." 

"'Cause." Leo said. "They'd look cool with your costume." 

Don smiled at that. "Yeah, Raph. The swords woulda been a neat touch." 

Raph sighed. "OK, but when are we gonna go? I want some candy! And Master Splinter isn't gonna let us go out here forever." He grinned, almost evilly. "I want to get as much candy as I can carry. And then some." 

"OK, OK." Leo said. "C'mon guys." 

"Goody!" Mike exclaimed happily. "Candy." 

They walked through the streets, winding their way through the seemingly hundreds of children, all running, playing, showing their bags to each other. 

Ghosts, goblins, zombies, tons of different costumes flowed around them as they walked, none of them giving them more than a glance. 

There were more people in this one block than they'd ever seen in their lives. 

Michaelangelo, who had been so excited about this, walked up closer to Don, and grabbed his hand. 

"When're we stopping at a house?" He asked, his voice quiet. 

"In a minute, Mikey." Leo said, then kept walking, determinedly, through the crowd. 

"Where's Master Splinter?" Mike asked. 

Raph sighed. "He said he'd be watchin' us." He looked back at Mike. "I'm sure he's around here somewhere." 

********************************

Splinter watched the four young boys make their way across the street, smiling as they checked four times each to make sure the road was clear. 

He sighed, and moved back into the shadows. He hated to make them walk by themselves, they were so young… But he could hide himself better in the shadows. Four five year old boys would blend in the crowd better than he would. He pulled the cloak he held around himself tighter. He watched as they approached a building where there were children playing in the front. 

He didn't like that this was one of the only times they could enjoy the same things other children did. He almost didn't let them go, because now that they knew what it was like, it would surely hurt more that they couldn't be like the other children. But he had wanted them to experience it once. And they'd been so excited; they had all worked for almost two months on their costumes, rummaging for things. 

He looked back quickly as they disappeared into the crowd momentarily, and he sighed in relief when they appeared a moment later. He'd better pay more attention. He shook his head, and ducked into an alley to get a closer look at them. 

********************************

"C'mon, Leo." Raph said impatiently. 

"We'll go up in a second." Donatello said, adjusting the glasses on his face that kept slipping off. 

Raph turned to Don. "What're you supposed to be again? Some kinda teacher…?" 

Don sighed. "No, Raph." He said patiently. "I'm a door to door salesman!" He said, turning around and showing off his outfit, which consisted of some plaid pants, a white shirt, tie, and some glasses: all found and made into his size. 

"Encyclopedia Britannica." Don said happily. He'd found an old briefcase for his candy bag, which he proudly held on to. It was a bit oversized for him, but he was determined to carry it. 

Raph rolled his eyes. He looked down at his own costume. He was proud of it. A striped shirt, handkerchief on his head, and black pants made his pirate costume. A swatch from the black pants had become an eye patch. 

"Hold on a second, Raph." Leo said, struggling with his costume. A blue shirt, jeans, a red handkerchief, along with a bit of rope and, the luckiest find of all: a cowboy hat he'd just found completed his cowboy outfit. The hat proved to be a bit of a problem, though, as it slipped down his head, and rested comfortably on his nose, covering his eyes. 

"Here." Mike went forward and tried to help Leo with his rope, which kept untying. 

Raphael sighed again. "Mikey, your hat." 

"Oh." Mike said, reaching up and grabbing the baseball hat on his head. A pair of pinstripe pajamas made up his baseball player's costume. Although, the hat was too big, and was constantly tilted to the right. 

"OK." Leo said, straightening his hat, which threatened to fall again. 

They made their way cautiously up to a door. They all looked at each other, and Leo knocked. Mike slipped his hand back into Don's again. 

After a few moments, a young woman answered the door. She looked at the four of them for a moment, not saying anything. Don could feel Mike's grip on his hand tightening. 

Suddenly, she yelled back behind her. "Jack! Jack, come here!" 

They all looked at each other nervously. 

Soon, a man came up behind the woman, and he looked at them, too. 

She turned to him. "Look at them, Jack! Aren't they cute?" 

Don and Leo relaxed. Raph scowled. 

"I'm not cute. I'm a pirate." 

Leo nudged him. "Raph!" He admonished. 

But the woman's smile never broke. "Well, of course you are!" She leaned down closer to them. "Are you four quadruplets?" She asked.

They all looked at each other in confusion, until Donatello spoke up. 

"Yes." He said shyly. 

The woman smiled again. "Well, you are the cutest little guys I've seen all night!" She said, then glanced over at Raphael. "Except for the pirate, who's too tough to be cute." She grinned as Raph smiled proudly. "And the most original costumes I've seen yet. Now, I see a pirate, a baseball player, a cowboy, and a…" 

"A door to door salesman." Don announced. "I sell Encyclopedia Britannica's!" 

"And knows 'em all by heart, too." Raph mumbled. 

Mike released Don's hand, and stepped closer to the woman. "And we made our costumes all by ourselves!" 

The woman nodded. "And they're wonderful." She said. "Aren't they, dear?" 

He nodded. "Worthy of a true craftsman." He looked around. "Say, you kids aren't out here all by yourselves, are you?" 

"No." Leo shook his head. "Our father is waiting for us a little while away." 

"Ah." The man nodded. "First time out trick or treating all by yourselves then?" 

They all nodded, and he grinned. "Well, then. Give them a little extra, Laura. A boy's first time out alone is something to be celebrated."

Laura laughed as she dispensed the candy. "Of course it is!" 

"Do you have any kids?" Mike asked as she put the candy in his bag. 

Her expression changed slightly, and Leo elbowed Mike. 

"No, we don't sweetie." She said softly. 

Mike looked behind her to the living room. "But, then who's costume is that?" He asked, and Leo elbowed him again. 

She looked behind her, and saw what he was talking about. 

"Oh, that's the neighbor girl's." She grinned again, straightening up. "She must have left it here by mistake." 

"We should be going." Leo said, seeing Raph getting antsy, and wanting to get to more houses himself. 

"Of course." Laura said, and her husband nodded. "Good luck guys." 

They all nodded, then, as if just remembering, said in unison: "Thank you." 

Laura smiled fondly. "You're welcome." 

Mikey looked back as they walked away. "You're nice." 

Laura smiled. "Thank you." She grinned. "Come back next year!" She called out to them, then turned back to go into the house. 

*********************************************

Splinter smiled as, a little while later, all four boys came up to him, grinning widely. 

"Did you have fun, my sons?" He asked, and was answered as each of them held a bulging bag, or, in one case, briefcase, out towards him. 

"Good." He smiled. "Shall we head home?" He asked. 

They nodded. 

"Yes, Master Splinter." They all said, then began walking home. 

Mikey yawned and Don rubbed his eyes. "That was fun, but I'm tired." 

Leo nodded. "I know, me too." 

Splinter walked a few feet behind them, smiling as he heard their quiet, happy chatter. 

"Oh, and Master Splinter!" Mikey chimed in, walking back to him. "We met a lady! She was nice, and she gave us extra candy because it's our first time trick or treating alone, and her husband said that was a good reason to give us extra candy, and they had a nice house, and they have a neighbor and it's a girl…"

***********************************************

Laura had just closed the door, when she felt something push against it, and a blur of red and blue came flying through. 

She gasped, then smiled at the girl standing before her. 

"Forget this?" She held up the silver halo that Michaelangelo had seen. 

"Yeah, thanks." the girl said, then adjusted it on her head. "Have many kids?" 

Laura nodded. "Oh, yeah. Just had a group of quadruplets." 

"Oh yeah? Sorry I missed them." 

"Yeah. Cutest little things. And you should have seen them, April, they had the cutest little costumes…" 

The End

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A/N - This was just a cute little peek at they guys' first Halloween. Just supposed to be a cute, fun, little turtles adventure. ;) Hope everyone enjoyed! 

Disclaimer - I don't own the TMNT or Splinter. Laura and Jack are my own creations. 


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